NCAA Basketball: Top 10 Players to Play for Bruce Weber
3. Demetri McCamey – Illinois Illini (2008-2011)
Career stats: 12.4 ppg 3.1 rpg 5.3 apg
After the players responsible for taking the Illini to the national title game all graduated, the program struggled to stay near the top of the Big Ten with the talent available. Things would’ve gone really bad for Weber at Illinois if it wasn’t for McCamey, who led the team in scoring in his final three seasons.
The 6’3 guard might not be as good as the other Illinois perimeter players in the Weber era, but he had nowhere near the help around him the others had. As great as it is to take a team deep into March, it’s also important to keep a team viable and not in the basement of the conference. McCamey did that and may have saved Weber’s career to an extent as a result.
2. Deron Williams – Illinois Illini (2003-2005)
Career stats: 11.0 ppg 3.3 rpg 5.9 apg
After playing for Bill Self his freshman season, Williams’ game grew once Weber took over the program. The purest point guard out of three, the future top-five NBA draft pick was one of the top passers in the country, with numerous double-digit assist games, including in the NCAA Tournament. His ball handling skills were too much for the next level to ignore, so Williams left early after his junior season. He was certainly the playmaker out of the legendary trio of guards for Illinois.
1. Dee Brown – Illinois Illini (2003-2006)
Career stats: 13.2 ppg 3.3 rpg 4.9 apg
This will be debated as to who was the best between Head, Williams, and Brown for a long time. But I’ll go with Brown, who ultimately was the Big Ten Player of the Year in that 37-2 historic season. Of the three, he was the most well-rounded college player, who could score 20 points one night and drop 10 assists the next game.
After both Head and Williams moved on in 2006, Brown led the team in both scoring and assists to lead Illinois back to the NCAA Tournament. Could Williams or Head do that by themselves?
Next: Top 10 Players to Play for Purdue's Matt Painter
Based on this list, it’s clear that Weber’s best came from Illinois. But in another 10 years, look out for a few Wildcats to crash the top of the rankings. That’s because there’s a very good chance that Weber will be around for a long time with Kansas State.